Bmi bids to end “stranglehold” of regulation
Bmi has pledged to continue to fight “the stranglehold of regulation” as the carrier prepares to launch new services to India.
The four times weekly flights to Mumbai, which begin tomorrow, represent the first new long-haul competition from Heathrow for 14 years.
Bmi chairman Sir Michael Bishop insisted it was the dawn of a new era.
“We have long campaigned for the right to bring new competition to key long haul routes from Heathrow and we will continue to do so,” he said.
Bmi claimed fresh competition to Mumbai has seen prices tumble by 15% for business travellers and up to 25% for leisure. It has identified 14 routes, including New York, Cape Town and Hong Kong, where similar benefits would occur.
“More than 15 million passengers a year travel on these 14 routes and they are being denied real competition because of regulatory restrictions,” said Bishop.
“Even a 10% reduction on fares would save travellers £600 million. The majority of these routes are from Heathrow to the US. The UK and UK governments would do well to take example of the UK-India model as a solution to releasing the stranglehold perpetuated by the Bermuda II agreement.”
He said the initial priority was to increase its Mumbai service to daily flights for winter 2005-06, as well as launching services to Riyadh later this year and exploring additional routes to India.
Report by Steve Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt